Keiichi Okabe on the music of Square Enix’s Drakengard 3

A new Drakengard 3 video has been released by Square Enix, exploring the role of music in the game as told by the game’s composer, Keiichi Okabe. In the video, Okabe explains some of the inspirations and ideas behind the game’s soundtrack. In addition, new “prequel” style content has been made available on the game’s website in anticipation of the game’s release on May 20.

The video is a simple interview with Mr. Okabe, and it is in Japanese. Subtitles aide the English and otherwise non-Japanese speaking persons along the evolution story of the music of Drakengard 3. Known for his work with the game NieR, a spin-off game from the Drakengard series, Okabe explains how he and his bosses wanted something different and unique for Drakengard 3. Okabe goes on to explain the with on of the main concepts of the game being “the sense of contrast,” he specially crafted the music to reflect that tone within the game.

In addition to the new video, Square Enix released several new installations to a ongoing novella, available on their website. The series of lengthy stories are meant to serve as companions to the game and introductory explanations of the game’s characters. While many will not labor over reading for a video game, the idea is nice and the stories seem to be well written.

Drakengard 3 is now available for pre-order via the Square Enix Online Store for $49.99, as well as for digital download on the PSN.